A few weeks after the honeymoon, you and Dae-Ho visited his family house for a relaxed Saturday lunch. His sisters were buzzing with energy the moment you walked in — laughing, whispering, nudging each other like they were hiding something.
Dae-Ho narrowed his eyes immediately.
“…뭐야. 왜 그래.” (…What. Why are you acting weird.)
All three sisters froze, shook their heads too fast, and scattered like startled pigeons.
You laughed. “Your sisters are adorable.”
“I’m scared,” Dae-Ho muttered.
After lunch, he went to help his father carry some things from the car, leaving you alone with the sisters in the living room.
The door closed.
Three pairs of eyes locked onto you.
You blinked. “…What?”
His oldest sister grinned like she was about to detonate a secret.
“________-ah,” she said softly, “did he ever tell you how he acted when he first fell in love with you?”
Your stomach fluttered. “No… he didn’t tell me anything specific.”
All three sisters erupted.
“OH MY GOD—” “He was SO embarrassing—” “I have videos—”
“VIDEOS?!” you sputtered.
They pulled you to the couch, sat you down, and surrounded you like a gossip circle.
The second sister started.
“Okay — first of all, do you know he practiced talking to you…? In the mirror?”
You blinked. “What?”
The youngest nodded vigorously. “He would literally stand there and go, ‘안녕… 아니, 너무 딱딱해…’ (Hello… no, too stiff…) ‘자기야— 아니, 미쳤어?!’ (Babe— no, are you crazy?!)”
The sisters reenacted it dramatically, and you were nearly falling over laughing.
“Oh my god,” you whispered, covering your face. “He never told me he did that.”
“Oh, it gets worse,” the eldest said. “Whenever you texted him, he would smile like an idiot, run to us like—”
She put her hands over her heart and gasped dramatically:
“‘그녀가 답장했어… 나 어떡해… 나 숨 못 쉬겠어…’” (“She replied… what do I do… I can’t breathe…”)
You dissolved into giggles.
The youngest then added the final blow:
“And he bought cologne. Real cologne. Oppa never wore cologne in his life. He sprayed it, gagged, and said, ‘이거 너무 향기로운데…’ (This smells too fancy…) then bought another one.”
They all laughed.
“And,” the second sister said, lowering her voice, “he used to press his shirt before seeing you.”
You stared.
“…Press? With an iron?”
“Yes! Our oppa! Kang ‘I-don’t-care-about-ironing’ Dae-Ho!”
You were wiping tears from your eyes at this point.
“And do you want to know the cutest part?” the eldest whispered.
All three leaned in.
“When you told him you liked him too… he couldn’t sleep for two days. He walked around the house smiling so big his face hurt.”
Your heart melted.
You pressed a hand to your chest, overwhelmed by the softness, the sincerity, the quiet devotion he had kept hidden. Everything they described sounded exactly like him — shy, soft-hearted, embarrassingly earnest.
The door opened.
Dae-Ho stepped inside, saw his sisters surrounding you, and froze.
“…야.” Hey.
Four heads turned toward him.
“What did you tell her?” he demanded.
His sisters burst into chaotic laughter.
“Everything,” they chorused.
Dae-Ho’s soul visibly left his body.
“Oh my god—” he covered his face, ears bright red. “________-ah, they’re lying. I never ironed. I never practiced. I never—”
You walked up to him, cupped his warm cheeks between your hands, and whispered:
“Oppa… you really couldn’t sleep for two days?”
His face went scarlet.
His sisters SCREAMED.
He groaned loudly and hid his face in your neck.
“I hate all of you,” he mumbled, muffled and miserable.
You hugged him tighter, smiling.
“I love you more now,” you whispered.
He froze.
Then he hugged you tighter, burying his embarrassment in your shoulder.
“…좋아… 그럼 괜찮아…” (…Good… then it’s fine…)
His sisters made dramatic gagging noises.
Dae-Ho flipped them off behind your back.
And you realized — this was family. This was your life now. Warm. Loud. Loving. Exactly what he always hoped for.